Hulu Beware of Hulu and their shady business practices! - worst streaming service ever (1 Viewer)

[DavieGravy]

I've had Hulu Live TV for a couple of years until I recently canceled. Despite the fact that their service is glitchy / unreliable and they bombard you with ads and fees every chance they get, they have some very shady billing practices.

Back in 2020, I moved from one state to another. After doing so, I updated my new zip code on my Hulu account, updated my new address on my PayPal account (that I used to pay Hulu). I also updated my address on my checking account that was attached to my PayPal account.

With this being the case, one would think that Hulu would begin billing me under my new zip code, but they didn't. Why does this matter??? The jurisdiction I moved from began charging taxes on internet streaming services back in April of this year. Hence, I've paid about $60 in taxes that I shouldn't have, all due to an error in Hulu's billing system. The jurisdiction I moved to doesn't charge taxes for internet streaming services.

I called them to get this straightened out. They very firmly told me they couldn't do anything. I even told them just give me a $25 credit and I'll let the rest go. They couldn't do that either.

In the end, I filled multiple disputes with PayPal and was able to get chargebacks for the last 6 months of the TAXES I PAID ONLY - Not the entire billed amount. This was good and I have to give PayPal props for this.

However, Hulu retaliated against me and disconnected my service a week early before it was scheduled to be shut off. So now, I'm out a week of service that I paid for, but can't receive.

I called them again and they said their escalation department was so overwhelmed they couldn't help me. Gee! I wonder why. They must have multiple people with similar issues.

It's no wonder Hulu is loosing subscribers. Their service is glitchy, their streaming quality is poor, their billing practices are unethical, they have ever increasing rate hikes and they don't give 2 hoots about their subscribers.

If anyone looking to pay for an internet streaming service, I suggest going with anyone but Hulu or their Disney conglomerate services.

 

[JohnRice]

It's interesting you signed up for this forum, seemingly only to post this.

Also, why should should you be refunded 6 months of the entire service that you received, rather than the improperly charged sales tax?

My gut tells me there is a little more to this.

 

[Walter Kittel]

I, on the other hand, love Hulu and their deep catalog of television programming. One the the best streaming bargains around, IMHO.

- Walter.

 

[Malcolm R]

I had Hulu for 99 cents a month for a year. I still felt like that was too much.

 

[DavieGravy]

It's interesting you signed up for this forum, seemingly only to post this.

Also, why should should you be refunded 6 months of the entire service that you received, rather than the improperly charged sales tax?

My gut tells me there is a little more to this.

Regarding your first question: Because I wanted to warn others about what Hulu is doing. Add to this, they don't provide itemized bills so the tax issue wasn't obvious.

Regarding your other questions. You apparently didn't read my post. Nowhere did I state or imply that I should be refunded 6 months worth of service. That's why, when I filed my disputes with Paypal, I did it only for the taxable amount. Hulu still got my base monthly pay, which I don't have a problem with.

 

[DaveF]

Bummer you got incorrectly charged taxes. I don't understand how you are charged $10/mo in taxes on a streaming service. That suggests you were paying $100 to $200 a month for Hulu. Which even for their live service seems super high. So, don't understand your situation.

Still, we all hate to feel ripped off, even for small amounts.

 

[DavieGravy]

DaveF, it does seem high. My Hulu base rate was about 82.99 per month. I would have let this go if I just got the last 6 months of taxes refunded and my service was shut off at the correct time, but there were a few months before that where I was charged taxes that can't be disputed, simply because it's longer than 6 months ago. When Hulu shut off my service a week early, that's icing on the cake - a big middle finger in my opinion.

 

[JohnRice]

Regarding your other questions. You apparently didn't read my post. Nowhere did I state or imply that I should be refunded 6 months worth of service.

Actually, not only did you say that, you typed it in all caps.

In the end, I filled multiple disputes with PayPal and was able to get chargebacks for the last 6 months of the TAXES I PAID ONLY - Not the entire billed amount.

of course, then the next sentence said it was OK, so I really have no idea why it was necessary to type it in all caps, which is usually used for emphasis.

Anyway, I'll just move on from that.

I think you're making a mistake issuing such blanket statements about Hulu. The Live TV option always sounded far too expensive to me, which is why I never subscribed to that. The basic (especially commercial free) version of their service is actually something of a bargain and the quality is just fine with my internet service. You get streaming of three networks, plus a bunch of other stuff. It's been a no-brainer for me for a while as I don't like to schedule my life around shows I want to see. That one subscription covers most broadcast television, which is great since I haven't had cable for 20 years.

 

[DavieGravy]

The reason I typed that in "all caps" is because I wanted to reiterate that I only disputed the taxes I paid, not the base pay. So that was your misinterpretation. I never implied that I should have been refunded the full base pay. I could have disputed that, but unlike Hulu, I have ethics. Although the fact that I got screwed over with a week's worth of service makes me wish I had disputed it all.

Regarding Hulu Basic, why would I want to pay to watch advertisements in shows I don't care to see? Broadcast television is something I haven't watched in 20 years; whether it's streaming or over the air. No thank you.

I watch very few select shows. Some on Science Channel, Investigation Discovery, NatGeo, Smithsonian and Tucker Carlson on Fox News. Nothing else. I don't care to see broadcast television crap. I don't care to see CNN, any of Vile-comms garbage or BET and shouldn't have to pay for it. But that's a different topic for a different day.

 

[DavieGravy]

By the way, if anyone does have the misfortune of streaming Hulu, their annoying ads can be blocked with uBlock origin. I run it on top of NextDNS. No need to subscribe to their ripoff "enhanced DVR" package. Both of these strip their annoying ads right out.

 

[JohnRice]

Yeah, I think the problem is very clear now.

Dump Hulu. Move on.

 

[JC Riesenbeck]

I dumped Hulu because it was useless to me and don't feel the need to go back. The best cable-like streaming service I used that was also the cheapest was Philo (64 channels for $25 a month) with the caveat that they had no news channels and no Sports which is how they keep the price down. I no longer watch sports as I once did, and while I do like some news channels I was tired of having to subsidize the vocal minority that watches Fox News which you do by using any other service. I was able to receive local channels with an Antenna and a DVR so I was covered there as well. Edit: And like YouTube TV, they have an unlimited DVD so that's a major plus.

 

[Clinton McClure]

I’ve had and enjoyed my Hulu commercial-free sub for several years. I also moved to a different zip code in 2020, however, it was easy to update my billing info and they’ve never given me bad service.

 

[DavieGravy]

Philo TV is offering a free month trial if you sign up through the Edge browser. It's a good deal for the price, but the ads are annoying when you watch shows on demand. You can skip the ads on DVR shows. Unfortunately, ad blockers won't get rid of them.

 

[DavieGravy]

Also of note, there is no reason to subscribe to, and pay for, Hulu basic when many other TV providers give you the same thing for free. Sling TV has a free subscription.

Stream Live TV Now | Get Started

Jump right in and stream live TV on your favorite streaming devices. Sling offers hundreds of channels, shows, and movies for less!

watch.sling.com

 

[Clinton McClure]

There is a reason to subscribe to and pay for Hulu. No commercials.

 

[Todd Erwin]

I'm enjoying some of their original programming (Only Murders in the Building is my recent favorite) and Australian imports like Harrow, and their selection of movies is nice (they'll be adding recent Sony theatricals next year, and movies from 20th Century Studios, formerly Fox, are beginning to transition over from HBO). I subscribe to the ad-supported tier (which just went up to $6.99/month), and do not find the ads all that annoying, as the commercial breaks are often shorter than broadcast TV. Plus, with movies, there is usually only one commercial break, and that is before the movie starts.